Penny for Your Thoughts
by myhummelberryheart
Summary: AU where the glee club doesn't exist, but the original five still band together to survive High School. First chapter borrowed from "Let's Kill Hitler", Doctor Who. Hummelberry relationship.


For as long as Kurt could remember, it had always been he, Mercedes, and Rachel since grade school. The two white girls and their sassy black friend he thought bitterly, remembering some of the nicknames and the hateful things that the Cheerios had called them. There were times he couldn't stand Quinn and her little gang. Unholy Trinity indeed.

Once in a while, Tina would join them in fun, but her stuttering often made her feel isolated from the other geeks on the lower rungs of the McKinley high social structure. She and Artie were close friends, so they weren't at least complete loners. All five of them banded together at lunchtime for super geek survival. Kurt was pretty sure Rachel had made shirts and a motto and everything.

But being the social pariahs they were, all three of them were hanging out on Friday night instead of being at Noah Puckerman's party. Not that they would have wanted to go anyways. Watching _Dreamgirls _and telling Mercedes that she would have been so much better than Jennifer Hudson over popcorn and pizza was more hilarious than getting drunk and spewing your guts out afterwards.

Or so they believed.

The hour was getting late, and the conversation was growing stranger with every passing moment for Kurt. The subject turned to love and the brown haired boy knew it was probably time to head home. Rachel's dads were never that keen on him spending the night since he was a boy, and most of the time, he had to agree. He was in love with Rachel Berry, even if she'd never see it. He started to grab his things and go home. Mercedes saw that distant expression in his eyes. He was trying to avoid his feelings. Nope, this time he wasn't going to get away that easily. He caught her glance and gave her a warning look. She mouthed the word "YES" and turned back towards Rachel. He coughed out "NO", but Mercedes was ignoring him. Kurt cringed and grabbed his keys. He was getting out of there before the fallout began.

"Rachel, you've got Mr. Perfect in your life, haven't you?"

The brunette smiled and looked around the room. "Well, I do idolize my small but growing collection of Hugh Jackman paraphernalia, I don't think—"

_Oh boy._ Kurt rolled his eyes and grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

"I wasn't talking about that Rachel."

Rachel looked at Mercedes confused. Mercedes jerked her head backwards. Kurt had almost made it through the door when he heard the brunette speak.

"What Kurt? How do I have _Kurt_?"

He turned around quickly. "Yeah! How has she got me?" He gave Mercedes a glare.

Rachel scoffed. "He's definitely not mine."

Kurt agreed quickly with this. "No. No. Definitely not _hers_."

Mercedes sighed and gestured wildly. "Oh come on! Okay seriously, it's got to be the two of you. Cut to the song already! This is getting boring, watching you two dance around each other."

Rachel turned and looked at Kurt, shaking her head. He kept the wide eyed innocence look. She turned back towards Mercedes.

"It is a nice thought, but completely impossible, okay?"

"Yeah, definitely impossible," muttered Kurt. Rachel was oblivious as a _rock_.

She came over and pinched his cheeks, putting her arm across his shoulders. "I mean, I'd love to. He's gorgeous! Who wouldn't love that face? He's my favorite guy. But he's you know… gay."

Right at the same time Rachel said gay, Kurt accidentally said "afraid." He and Rachel quickly looked at each other.

"…I'm not gay."

Rachel laughed. "Yes you are Kurt, don't deny it. We all know."

Kurt gave her a weird look. "No, no I'm not. Just because I like to look nice and present myself well doesn't mean I _have _to look at men. I mean, I do, but I could you know… like both."

Rachel looked at Kurt, as if seeing him for the first time. "Yes you are Kurt, don't be stupid. In the whole time I have known you when have you shown the slightest interest in a girl?"

Mercedes smirked and took a bite of popcorn out of the bowl and popped it in her mouth. The show was getting good. "Penny in the air," she said softly, smirking at Kurt.

"…I mean, I've known you for what, ten years? I've seen you practically every day. Name one girl you've paid the slightest bit of attention to."

Silence filled the room, and Kurt did the only thing he could think of at the moment. He bolted down the stairs and towards Rachel's front door.

Mercedes cackled out loud. Oh this was priceless. _Priceless._ Her baby boy had all but admitted it. Rachel was standing there dumbfounded, looking between the door and Mercedes. The black girl held up her soda in salute.

"Oh my god, Kurt!" said the future Broadway diva as she ran out her bedroom door after him.

Mercedes Jones texted Tina with the news, amused and annoyed that she had now been left alone at Rachel Berry's house. But at least she had an expansive DVD collection, even if a good portion of them were musicals.

"And the penny drops," she said with a smile as Tina had texted her back with a smiley face. Their plans to get the two star crossed love birds together may have just succeeded.


End file.
